Silencing device for toilet seat



June 26, 1956 w. YOUNG SILENCING DEVICE FOR TOILET SEAT Filed Jan. 5, 1953 bran/0r Z E front.

United States Patent SILENCING DEVICE FOR TOILET SEAT Leroy William Young, Arvada, Colo.

Application January 5, 1953, Serial No. 329,513

4 Claims. (Cl. 4-237) This invention is a silencing device for toilet seats.

In conventional construction, a ring-shaped toilet seat is mounted above and connected to the rear of a toilet bowl by a pair of spaced hinges. The underside of the seat does not contact the bowl, but is usually spaced therefrom by the hinges at the rear and by small blocks of rubber or the like, the latter usually being attached to the underside of the seat at points forwardly and to each side. When such a seat is in use, the space between the seat and the top of the bowl permits a relatively free passage of air to the interior of the bowl, but also permits a relatively free travel of sound waves. Thus, the sounds incident to the use of a toilet are often a source of annoyance or embarrassment to the user. While such sounds may be muiiled to a sufiicient extent by attaching a solid ring of resilient material to the top of the toilet bowl or the underside of the seat, the former is unsanitary and neither permits flow of air into or out of the bowl. Also, if radial passages are provided in the ring to permit the fiow of air, the very purpose of the ring, i. e., to mufiie sound, is at least in part defeated.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved silencing device for toilet seats; to provide such a device which is effective in muffling sounds, and also permits the passage of air to and from the bowl; to provide such a device which is attachable to the underside of a toilet seat and which tends to remain attached thereto; to provide such a device which is readily maintained in clean condition; and to provide such a device.

which is easily manufactured.

Additional objects and the novel features of this invention will become apparent from the description which follows, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a silencing device constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken along line 2--2 of Fig. l but including the seat to which the silencing device is attached; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1, but including a portion of the bowl as well as the seat to which the silencing device is attached.

As illustrated in Fig. l, the silencing device of this invention may comprise a pad P, which is preferably made of a relatively resilient material, such as rubber or plastic, is ring-shaped in form and corresponds generally in shape to the seat 10, shown in section in Figs. 2 and 3. The seat is conventionally mounted above the bowl 11, in spaced relation thereto, as by hinges 12, which are conventionally attached to the rear of the bowl 11 and to the underside of the seat 10. In conventional construction, seat 10 is spaced from the bowl by the hinges 12 at the rear, and by small blocks of rubber or the like at the However, the pad P has a height corresponding to the space between the seat 10 and bowl 11, and extends completely around the periphery of the seat 10, thus closing the space between the seat 10 and bowl 11 and thereby intercepting or mufliing sound waves.

" 2,751,604 Ice Patented June 26, 1956 The principal portion or body 14 of the pad P is preferably narrower than the seat 10 and also narrower than the top of the bowl 11, so as to engage only a portion of the surface at the top of the bowl, to facilitate cleanliness. The pad P is also provided with a central opening 15, which is preferably slightly larger than the rings-haped opening in the seat 10, and a recess 16 in the upper surface at each side at the rear, to accommodate hinges 12. An inwardly extending flange 17 provides a greater surface area for attachment of the pad P to the underside of the seat 10, as by a suitable plastic adhesive, or the like. While the body 14 of the pad may be substantially the same width around its periphery, it may be wider at one or more points, such as at the sections 14' beneath the recesses 16, as in Fig. 2.

In accordance with this invention, the body 14 is also wider at a section 18, as at one side, to accommodate labyrinth passage 19, which may extend generally circumferentially from the inside, then outwardly and then circumferentially in the opposite direction, finally to open outwardly. This passage 19 permits the relatively free passage of air between the inside and outside of the bowl 11, beneath the seat 10, but acts to extinguish or dampen to a great degree any sound waves. The height of the labyrinth passage 19 is preferably uniform over its length, although it may vary, and also is preferably less than the height of the body portion 14. A minimum height of the labyrinth passage 19 is desirable, to insure the prevention of passage of as much sound as possible and also to permit the section through which the labyrinth passage extends to be sufficiently strong to withstand usage. Of course, the labyrinth passage 19 need not have the exact configuration shown, as long as direct travel of sound waves through the opening is prevented.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the silencing device of this invention fulfils to a marked degree the requirements and objects hereinbefore set forth. By virtue of the labyrinth passage, the device permits the passage of air but at the same time is effective in mufiiing sounds. Through its relatively wide upper surface, the pad is readily attached and tends to remain attached to the underside of the seat, while the relatively narrow surface at the bottom permits the device to be maintained in relatively clean condition. As will be evident, the pad P may be manufactured simply and easily, as by molding.

Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described with particularity, it will be understood that other embodiments may exist and various changes made therein, all without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A silencing device for a ring-shaped toilet seat which is mounted above and connected by hinges to the rear of a toilet bowl, said hinges being attached to the underside of said seat in spaced positions, said device comprising a ring-shaped pad corresponding in shape to said seat and having a substantial thickness and a normal width less than said seat; said pad having a height corresponding to the space between said seat and bowl; said pad being formed of resilient material and having an inwardly and laterally extending flange providing a relatively wide upper surface of said pad for adhesive attachment to the underside of said seat, said pad having recesses in the upper surface in spaced positions at the rear thereof to accommodate said hinges; and said pad having a section at one side of greater width and a labyrinth passage in said section extending circumferentially from the inside of said section and forwardly, then outwardly, and then circumferentially in the opposite direction and opening outwardly, said passage extending upwardly from the bottom of said pad for a distance less than the thickness of said pad.

- 2. A silencing device for a toilet seat which is mounted above atoilet bowl, said device comprising a ring-shaped pad corresponding in shape to said seat and having a substantial thickness and a normal width less than said seat, said pad being formed of resilient material and having an inwardly and laterally extending flange providing a relatively wide upper surface of said pad for adhesive attachment to the underside of said seat, said pad having a section provided with a labyrinth passage leading "from the inside to the outside. a

3. A silencing device as defined in claim 2, wherein said pad is wider at the section through which said labyrinth passage extends.

4. A silencing device as defined in claim 3, wherein said labyrinth passage extends upwardly from the bottom of said pad.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,014,255 King Sept. 10, 1935 2,016,412 Winding Oct. 8, 1935 2,114,551 Winding Apr. 19, 1938 2,152,883 Eudy Apr. 4, 1939 2,309,925 Schotthoefer Feb. 2, 1943 2,322,515 Hazard June 22, 1943 

